Pokemon Legends Z-A: The Potential for New Mega Evolutions

Over the years, Gamefreak and The Pokemon company have released some very unique gimmicks for individual regions and generations. Z-Moves, Dynamax/Gigantamax, Terastalization; the list goes on, and likely will go on even more as each new generation launches more and more. However, none of the regional gimmicks produced thus far have been as popular with the community as Mega Evolution.

Released in Generation 6, Mega Evolution needs no introduction to anyone who’s played Pokemon Go for any length of time. However, we only have a limited number of these unique and powerful Pokemon available in the game to date, and the system hasn’t been expanded since Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire released a decade ago. But maybe that’s about to change.

A few months ago, it was announced that we’re going to be getting a sequel to Pokemon Legends: Arceus, a game which took place in the distant past of Sinnoh. This time, we’re going to visit the past of Kalos, the land of Mega Evolution, with Pokemon Legends: Z-A. And while we don’t have any confirmation as to what is/isn’t on the horizon, it currently seems pretty likely that Gamefreak may finally re-visit everyone’s favorite regional gimmick, giving us brand new Mega Evolutions to utilize. And, naturally, the Pokemon Community is still ablaze with speculation, so it’s time for us to get in on the fun!

Note that “leaks” are all over the internet right now, confirming/deconfirming different features for the game. However, every single Pokemon game is always buzzing with leaks along these lines pre-release, so we respectfully ask that they’re not referenced in the comments. For now, the only thing that this article is based on is raw speculation, so please take all of this with a grain of salt.

Also note that we're calling this a top-10, but we're also going to bunch a few Pokemon in with their counterparts.

Top-10 Most Likely New Mega Evolutions

1: Xerneas & Yveltal

We have some precedent for box-legends getting new formes in the Legends series. Palkia and Dialga weren’t really featured in any of the marketing for Pokemon Legends: Arceus, but they both received powerful new Origin formes to match Giratina. Based on this, it seems pretty likely that Xerneas and Yveltal will see their own Mega Evolutions. And if monsters like Mega Rayquaza and Mega Mewtwo Y are anything to go by, then box Legends with Mega Evolutions could very well cause huge shifts in Pokemon Go. However, a theoretical Mega Xerneas actually stands a better chance at relevance in Pokemon Go than a Mega Yveltal. This is due to the fact that Yveltal’s Signature Move, Oblivion Wing, is a Flying Type move. This could potentially put it in direct competition with Mega Rayquaza… and that’s competition that no Pokemon wants. On the Dark side, it can’t learn Brutal Swing, so it’s got an uphill battle. Either way, time will tell!

2: Charizard

You know it’s probably going to happen, I know it’s probably going to happen, so let’s talk about it.

Mega Charizard Y represented a power-up of Charizard’s existing concept, while Mega Charizard X reflected its more draconic design… as well as the memes. So what could a Mega Charizard Z represent? Well, Charizard has its main design and missed potential covered, so a Z forme could go in any real direction. One concept would be to sort of fuse the X and Y formes into a Dragon/Flying Type Mega Evolution, but doing so would give us 3 Dragon/Flying Type Mega Evolutions, and Fire is a bit more on-brand for Charizard than Flying. Another concept would be for a Mega Charizard Z to turn into a mono-Fire type, leaning as heavily as possible into its status as the series’ premier fire-breather.

Outside of these, a Mega Charizard Z’s typing could go in literally any direction, so it’s hard to speculate on what that could mean for Pokemon Go.

3: Mewtwo

Mewtwo was the second of two Pokemon to get two Mega Evolutions back in the days of X and Y the form of Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y, so it’s extremely likely that we’ll see Mewtwo get a 3rd Mega Evolution for Pokemon Z-A. We already have mono-Psychic and Psychic/Fighting, so the most likely way that The Pokemon Company will go is either Ghost or Dark, as they have a record for enjoying type-trios along these lines. If this is the case, then we can rest assured that it almost definitely will be stronger than base Mewtwo, meaning it could very well make huge waves in Pokemon Go. Just imagine a Mega Mewtwo that could have STAB on Shadow Ball, and it should be pretty obvious just how impactful a Ghost Type Mega Mewtwo Z could potentially be… but what about a Dark Type Mega Mewtwo Z? Well, this would be a bit harder to play with in Pokemon Go, as Mewtwo has no Dark Type moves in Pokemon Go. In order to make waves, it would have to get a good Dark Type Charged Move, which is definitely a possibility, as it can learn Brutal Swing in the main series.

4: Venusaur & Blastoise

Charizard has two Mega Evolutions, so odds are okay that Blastoise and Venusaur will see at least one new Mega Evolution each. And, honestly, it’s hard to predict what type-changes these formes may bring. In the case of Charizard, it has one forme that magnifies its natural typing, and a second that highlights its Dragonic design while also addressing the long-standing “which of these is a dragon?” meme. So what could we see with Venusaur and Blastoise?

Well, for Venusaur we could end up with a mono-Grass Type, dropping its Poison typing in a manner similar to Mega Aggron losing its Rock typing. But why would they do this? Well, to establish Venusaur as the one true Grass Type. While it’s not a widely expressed opinion, there are those who were a bit put off by the original Grass Type sporting a Poison sub-typing; objectively one of the worst types in Generation 1. Is this a likely outcome? Nope. This line of thought follows the Mega Charizard X Dragon typing train of thought, but to a much lesser degree, especially since nowadays a mono-Grass typing would be… objectively worse than the current Grass/Poison typing in most cases.

That aside, what else is likely for Mega Venusaur? It’s honestly hard to say. Grass is almost guaranteed to stay, but no other types feel like they really, really stand out here.

For Blastoise, we don’t really have much to work with by way of player-precedent. Dragon Type Charizard was huge, and a mono-Grass Venusaur would be…. maybe slightly appropriate for some? But Blastoise is Blastoise is Blastoise is Blastoise. This jet-turtle is happy with what it is, and has never had much talk surrounding its typing. That said, its more defensive design could lend itself well to a Steel sub-typing, or possibly even Rock (even though that would seriously overlap with Drednaw), but basically anything is possible.

And now that that’s all out of the way, here’s a blanket-answer for both that some of you are probably currently screaming at your screens: Grass/Dragon Venusaur, and Water/Dragon Blastoise. This would definitely work with their themes, as both of these Pokemon have reptilian designs (well, more amphibious for Venusaur as it seems to be based more on a toad, but the point still stands), and would round out a trio of Kanto-based Mega Dragons. Honestly, this could be a great way to give a bit of justice to the starters that stand in the shadow of one of the single most celebrated (and monetized) Pokemon in the entire series.

5: Dragonite

So we have Mega Tyranitar (Generation 2), Mega Salamence (Generation 3), Mega Metagross (Generation 3 as well), and Mega Garchomp. Doesn’t it feel like Gamefreak skipped something…?

Dragonite is another highly requested Mega Evolution, as the first Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon and the first fully evolved Dragon Type Pokemon in the series. And, honestly, it’s a Mega Evolution that probably shouldn’t have a type-change due to just how much of a classic it is. Chances are that a Mega Dragonite would see a large boost in terms of its Attack stat, but in Pokemon Go terms, it would most likely have to compete with the monster that is Mega Rayquaza, so it likely wouldn’t have a shot.

6: Goodra & Hydreigon

These are the “other” Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon that existed at the time of Pokemon X and Y, and both were sadly snubbed in the Mega Evolution department.

Goodra seems the more likely of the two, as it is the Mega Evolution of Kalos. And while it was given some love with its Hisuian Goodra, it might be interesting to see something of a throw-back to this forme in a Mega Evolution. Either that, or give us the Dragon/Poison Pseudo-Legendary that the community was hoping for back when they discovered this good natured dragon.

Hydreigon, meanwhile, really didn’t like Generation 6. It went from having one of the best offensive typings in the game in Generation 5 to… the introduction of Fairy as a type. It could honestly be interesting to see a Mega Hydreigon. Perhaps it could have 5 heads to capitalize on its Hydra-design and origin in Generation 5? Though its name literally has the German word for 3 in it. It could also go for a slightly more cybernetic/weaponized design to call back to its design origins as a tank (yes, Hydreigon was initially designed as a tank dragon) as well as its connection to Iron Jugulis, its future Paradox variant from Paldea.

7: Golem & Machamp

In Pokemon Red, Blue, and Green, we had four Pokemon families that were evolved via trade: Gengar, Alakazam, Golem, and Machamp. Half of these families already have Mega Evolutions, so Mega Evolutions for the other half seems pretty likely. They likely won’t change types, and may have a bit of a hard time rising to the top of their types in Pokemon Go, but they definitely have potential.

8: Articuno, Zapdos, & Moltres

After the relative Legendary-fest that was Generation 4, Kalos saw… a pretty stark pool of Legendary Pokemon. Aside from the Mythicals that were distributed via events, we only had Yveltal, Xerneas, Zygarde (50% Forme), Mewtwo… and the three legendary birds of Kanto. This was partly due to the fact that X and Y tried to lean fairly heavily into old-school Pokemon in order to bring back older fans of the series, but their presence in X and Y could also hint towards long-term plans to give these fan favorite Pokemon Mega Evolutions. Chances are that these three would keep their current typings due to their iconic status, though we could also see design inspiration from their Galarian variants sneak in as well. This would also be a chance for this trio to finally see real utility in Pokemon Go again. Articuno in particular would have the easiest time becoming the ruler of the Ice Type Mega Meta, while Zapdos stands a good chance, as it would be possible for it to out-class Mega Manectric, its main competition. Moltres, on the other hand, would have the roughest time. It would have to compete with Mega Charizard Y and Mega Blaziken, both of which are very strong Mega Evolutions. Still, it’s possible for this trio to rise again in a huge way... and heck, Pokemon Legends: Arceus turned the Forces of Nature from a Trio into a Quartet, so maybe we'll see the Kanto birds gain a 4th member as a bonus...?

9: Chesnaught, Delphox, and Greninja

The original Kalos starters really didn’t see much love in their debut generation, as they were entirely omitted from their own regional gimmick. Sure, Greninja eventually got some love in the form of Ash Greninja, but it feels like Gamefreak and The Pokemon Company have decided to sweep it under the rug. Regardless, this trio very much deserves to have their own Mega Evolutions, as they are the face of the generation outside of the box-Legends. However, we have a small problem to address that may make this less likely than it may seem…

Pokemon Legends Z-A is only the second game in the Legends series, and in the first game we were given the precedent of starters that were not native to the generation on which the game was based on, with regional-variants for their final Evolutions. If this continues, then this trio may very well get passed up yet again in favor of other starters. It’s possible that we may see Hisuian variants of these starters instead, or they may use Mega Evolutions as the new unique feature for the starters, but the odds aren’t really in the favor of the Generation 6 starters, right now.

10: Marshadow & Volcanion

Diancie already has a Mega Evolution, so Marshadow and Volcanion seem like they could definitely be possible. Since their typings are fairly integral to their designs and concepts, they likely wouldn’t see any changes on that front, though they could potentially see very nice power increases.

On the Pokemon Go side, these Pokemon would have… an uphill battle. Marshadow would compete with Mega Gengar and a future Mega Lucario, while Mega Volcanion would be in direct competition with Mega Blaziken, Mega Charizard Y, and even Primal Kyogre. In short, the potential is there, but the competition is pretty steep.